Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T15:06:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo1184_1.pdf: 1045542 bytes, checksum: 129aa95643e5df7d1081172df79decb7 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A metodologia do Cash-Flow-at-Risk (CFaR), que busca determinar a pior queda no fluxo de caixa gerada pela influência dos fatores de risco, é fruto das inovações teóricas e técnicas que tomaram força a partir da década de noventa na administração de risco em empresas não financeiras. Este processo de inovação foi impulsionado, tanto pela necessidade de uma administração mais eficiente de risco, no fluxo de caixa e lucro, quanto pelo advento da metodologia do Value-at-Risk. Este trabalho de dissertação objetiva aplicar a metodologia do Cash-Flow-at-Risk desenvolvida por Adrén, Jankensgard e Oxelheim (2005) na Companhia Hidro Elétrica do São Francisco (Chesf). Para isso foram coletados os dados relativos ao EBITDA da Chesf e de um conjunto de prováveis fatores que o EBITDA apresenta exposição. Estes fatores foram escolhidos pelas características do setor elétrico brasileiro, da Chesf e pelos fatores determinados em trabalhos anteriores, que utilizaram empresas deste setor. O cálculo do CFaR da Chesf foi realizado em duas etapas. A primeira utilizou a análise MUST na construção do modelo de exposição, determinando os fatores de risco e a segunda intensiva em simulações, gerando as distribuições para o EBITDA dependente dos fatores e do EBITDA independente. Os resultados da primeira etapa mostram que o EBITDA da Chesf apresenta exposição ao PIB, IGPM e IPCA, enquanto na segunda chega-se ao valor do CFaR condicional de 83.763 milhões e CFaR independente de 100.560 milhões, ambos ao nível de significância de 5%. Agregando as duas distribuições chegou-se ao valor do CFaR da Chesf de 87.184 milhões, com o nível de significância de 5%, valor este, abaixo do verdadeiro valor do EBITDA

This dissertation presents novel tools to help instructors measure students linking of content knowledge and the actions students perform for studying in the context of post-secondary General Chemistry. The first tool described in this work is Creative Exercises (CEs), an open-ended assessment that has the potential to promote students making connections across the content covered in General Chemistry. Students are given a simple prompt that describes a chemistry situation, and asked to write as many statements as they can that are correct, distinct and relevant to the prompt and the course content. The written responses to CEs from both in-class exams and homework assignments are examined for evidence of linking chemistry concepts. The findings indicate that students are able to use a wide range of topics to answer CEs based on the prompts. Also, from student responses to CEs, students’ misunderstandings of chemistry models are uncovered. To determine the prevalence of links and facilitate implementation in large classes, the second tool termed Measure of Linked Concepts (MLCs) is developed and implemented in General Chemistry. MLCs provide similar prompts as CEs and also a series of statements developed from prior student responses to CEs. Students are asked to evaluate the legitimacy of these statements. Students’ performance on MLCs is examined and the results show that the majority of students show proficiency in prior knowledge. However, a sizeable proportion of students can’t recognize the situation where a chemistry model is misused. Student responses to the above two assessments (CEs and MLCs) provide evidence for linking chemistry concepts of students in General Chemistry, both correctly and incorrectly. They also serve as tools for showing the relevance of prior topics and subsequent topics throughout the course and communicating with students for learning chemistry as a theme instead of separated facts. Finally, text message inquires are used to explore student study habits in General Chemistry. Study habits are defined as the frequency and type of actions taken toward studying outside the classroom in this work. The evidence for the feasibility of using text message inquiries as a data collection tool and the validity of the collected data is presented. Students in General Chemistry are characterized as three clusters based on their study habits. The cluster of students who reported studying in addition to the required course material outperform the other two clusters of students, who knowingly do not study and who reported studying only required course materials. By tracking study habits of a common group of students, we observe the signs of adapting. In addition, study habits of students at-risk of failing the course based on incoming SAT scores are explored in this work. The results indicate both frequency and quality play a role in students’ academic performance, and quality may be more important than frequency. These results provide a path for at-risk students to improve success rates in General Chemistry.

The current study examined the impact of an early summer literacy program and the mediating effects of the home literacy environment on the language and literacy outcomes of a group of children at-risk for long-term developmental and academic delays. Participating children (n=54) were exposed to an intensive book-reading intervention each summer (June through mid August) over a 3-year period. The current study implemented an ex post facto, quasi-experimental design. This nonequivalent group design involved a pretest and posttest over three time points for a non-randomized treatment group and a matched non-treatment comparison group. Results indicated that literacy scores did improve for the children over the 3-year period; however, language scores did not experience the same rate of change over time. Receptive language was significantly impacted by attendance, and race/ethnicity. Expressive language was impacted significantly by gestational age and attendance. Results also indicated that language outcomes for young children who are exposed to a literacy program were higher than those who did not participate; however, only receptive language yielded significance at the p This study concluded that at-risk young children do benefit from center-based literacy intervention. This literacy experience, however, is also driven by the children’s home environment, their attendance to the program, whether they were premature or not and the type of caregiver.

The aim of this qualitative study was to look at social capital formation among at-risk students in an alternative education program. Social capital has been applied to a broad range of fields to highlight the benefits that individuals, organizations and communities accrue from supportive relationships and networks. However, to date no research has looked specifically at social capital formation among at-risk students in a Canadian alternative high school. For this reason the author decided to examine the lived experiences of twelve Canadian at-risk students currently attending Sunnyside Alternative High School, with the aim of describing how social capital was fostered. The mainstream school and alternative school experiences of the students were compared based on the research questions and a conceptual framework of social capital formation. The findings of the research confirmed the importance of affective bonding social capital, as well as an inclusive learning environment at the alternative school.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to theoretically describe the risks connected to entrepreneurship. Stress is put mainly on financial risks that are related to price shifts of agricultural commodities and to changes in the exchange rates. The basis lies in theoretical identification of the nature of possible risks, methods of risk evaluation and description of instruments that serve for the risk elimination. This theoretical knowledge is further applied in case studies dealing with hedging of commodity and currency risks of firms that conduct business in agricultural basic industry. The analysis of firm's position, demonstration of hedging and final evaluation of efficiency are included.

The graduation thesis addresses the problems of managing and measuring of financial risks in activities of insurance companies. The first chapter handles the definitions of the financial risk and it classification. The second chapter defines a random variable returns of measure of financial assets. Sets up formulas of the return measure and also focuses on problem of time aggregation. The third chapter theoretically describes methodology of value at risk as the most widely used method for measuring and managing risk by insurance companies and regulatory authority. The fourth chapter contains an empirical study from practice which compares the two basic method of computing value at risk. The fifth chapter is the main part of the graduation thesis and focuses on verifying of the model and his imperfections. It verifies also achievements of initial assumptions. The sixth chapter targets on possibilities of extension value at risk method by liquidity risk incorporation.

This thesis deals with commodity risk and its context. It concerns the commodity market, types of traded commodities, exchanges on which commodities are traded and pricing method usual for commodity market. The first section of the thesis consists of a theoretical perspective on measuring commodity risk and describes the derivatives used to hedging commodities. In the second section is a key part of the work calculations of the statistical characteristics of commodities, practical methods of measuring risk, modeling Value at Risk, stress scenarios and measuring risk using hedging transactions in the financial market. The aim is to measure the commodity risk for various risk situations on a commodity market.

Thesis advisor: David B. Miele / Institutional efforts to address attainment gaps in higher education have traditionally centered on deficit-oriented discourses that frame Black and Hispanic students, low-income students, and first-generation college students as ‘at-risk’ and ‘underprepared’. Given the extensive amount of evidence documenting the adverse consequences of labeling and stigmatization, relying on negative descriptors to characterize marginalized students may be detrimental to their motivation and persistence in college—and may inadvertently exacerbate disparities in graduation rates between these students and students from more privileged backgrounds. A total of three online studies were conducted for this dissertation, which explores the deficit-oriented labeling experiences of low-income, first-generation Black and Hispanic college students (LIFG; n= 256) and their non-low-income, continuing-generation White peers (NLIFG; n= 317). In Studies 1 and 2, participants were asked to respond to a series of prompts designed to examine the extent to which deficit-oriented labels were applied to them, the contexts in which this occurred, and the motivational and affective consequences they experienced as a result. In Studies 1 and 3, hypothetical scenarios were used to probe participants’ interpretations of both deficit-oriented and alternative labels (i.e., first-generation student), as well as the perceived consequences of being characterized by these descriptors. Study 3 also explored potential stereotype threat effects that might result from being characterized by a deficit-oriented label. Specifically, participants were randomly assigned to recall an experience in which they were labeled as an at-risk or first-year student, and then asked to complete an analytical task. Students’ academic mindsets, stereotype vulnerability, and racial identity beliefs were also explored as potential moderators for within and between-group differences in Studies 2 and 3. Results showed that relative to NLIFG students, LIFG students were significantly more likely to report being labeled by deficit-oriented descriptors. The frequency of these labeling experiences was also significantly associated with negative academic self-perceptions, sense of belonging, and affect, for both LIFG and NLIFG students. Across both sample groups, participants generally indicated that these labels were most often communicated to them by instructors and advisors. Responses to the hypothetical scenarios indicated that LIFG students were more nuanced in their interpretations of different labels, but there were no sample group differences in the extent to which participants expected these labeling experiences to negatively affect hypothetical students. There was no evidence of stereotype threat effects on subsequent performance, but this result may have been due to limitations associated with the manipulation task. Lastly, there was evidence to suggest that endorsing stronger academic growth mindsets may mitigate the negative effects of these stigmatizing experiences. The implications of these findings and recommendations for future work are also discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

The problem in a suburban school district in a northwestern state is that fewer socioeconomic disadvantaged and minority students are graduating high school and attending post-secondary education than their White and economic middle-class counterparts. The disparity continues to expand the achievement gap between minorities and Whites within the education system and continues a cycle of poverty for the poorest and minority students. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory guided the study. The purpose of this bounded qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the advancement via individual determination (AVID) instructional strategies high school graduates used in their transition to post-secondary education. The research questions addressed which instructional strategies the AVID graduates learned and how they used the strategies in post-secondary education. The participants were 13 AVID high school graduates from a suburban northwestern school district who entered post-secondary education in 2014–2018. Data collected through one-on-one interviews were analyzed thematically using descriptive and axial coding to allow themes to emerge using the constructs of the framework. AVID students suggested that focused notetaking, collaboration, and self-regulatory behaviors assisted them in their academic success. Based on the findings, a 3-day professional development was created for high school teachers to design content area lessons featuring student collaborative groups, self-reflection, and notetaking strategies. This endeavor may contribute to positive social change when administrators provide teachers with grouping, social emotional, and instructional strategies for AVID enrollees, which may result in increased AVID graduates and post-secondary students.

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